Woke up bright and early like it was another school day, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s anything but, come afternoon it\u2019ll be time to graduate,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The magnitude hasn\u2019t registered, all\u2019s well on the plains,\ngotta enjoy summer break before knuckling down for seventh grade,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Had breakfast with the fam bam then ducked into the showers,\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Changed into school uniform, yellow shirt and grey shorts,\nDecember weather ain\u2019t suitable for trousers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening salvo in a day of lasts fired, many little\nhabits memorised to be performed a final time,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morning drop-off completed, kissed Mom \u2018see you later\u2019,\nentered the school grounds to join fellow grade-sixers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seems we\u2019re united in our indifference, the significance of\nit all remains elusive,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a collective it\u2019s all dry eyes, no internal drafting of\ngood-byes, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Could change as the big show edges closer, guaranteed the\ndam will break once it\u2019s over,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Final morning assembly failed to activate the feelings, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though I\u2019d be lying by claiming I didn\u2019t feel stirrings\nduring Principal\u2019s morning message,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then it was off to the classroom, no more lessons to be\ncovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time spent reminiscing with the teacher, pep talks galore\nabout what lies in our near future,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The past seven years lead to this, 91 to 97, from\nkindergarten to grade six,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was a year late to the party but these classmates kinda\ngrew on me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not that I\u2019d call \u2018em bossom buddies, miss me with being\nweepy after the ceremony,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Got through recess in a reflective mood, blocking out the\nusual banter from the dudes, contemplating over my food,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lunchtime was similar, chopped it up with young\u2019uns while\nthe homies played soccer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ones who looked up to me as a big brother, oblivious that\nI\u2019ll soon be a goner,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The school bell chimed, the final meal break was over, back\nto class to prepare, a final request from the teacher,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Handed us pieces of paper, asked us to write our secret wishes,\nno need for a big reveal, write \u2018em then fold \u2018em before dropping \u2018em in a\nbucket, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before they\u2019re stuffed inside helium balloons, their purpose\nwill be revealed soon,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now just sit back and relax, spend some quality time as\none big group,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At another time multiple selfie-sessions would have been in\norder, pics and vids uploaded on the \u2018Gram,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018End of an era\u2019, \u2018moving on\u2019, \u2018the next chapter\u2019, how are\nthose for hashtags?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon it was time, bade one another farewell, expressed\ngratitude to teacher,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For her guidance and patience, for putting up with us,\nfulfilled her role with flying colours,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looked around home base, desks tidy and chairs atop tables,\nready to be cleaned,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walls that had played host to charts, rules and students\u2019\nart works now a bare and austere shade of cream,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No cap and gown for us, just plain old school uniforms, took\nsome shine off of the occasion, not that it really matters, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lined up for the final time, marched like troopers towards\nthe assembly area,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students from grades below us and their teachers, school\nstaff and our parents, patiently waiting as we were seated up front and centre,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Principal kicked off proceedings, tired old clich\u00e9s she was\nregurgitating,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stuff about personal growth and the next chapter, as we\ntransition from children to teenagers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
School captains addressed their peers, handled it like\nprofessionals,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even in the face of their friends\u2019 subtle trolling while\nothers\u2019 eyes were wandering,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even the parish priest had his say, this was Catholic school\nafter all, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then once the VIPs had rocked the mic it was on for the\ncringiest part of all,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graduates turned to face their support crew to serenade them\nin song,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Call it our teachers\u2019 retribution for the times we\u2019d driven\n\u2018em up the wall,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because You Loved Me <\/em>by\nCeline Dion, the theme from that movie Up\nClose And Personal<\/em>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n An impromptu karaoke session, writers on Glee <\/em>would have found this unusual,<\/p>\n\n\n\n To us it was cheese, new levels of cringy, worse than what\nGal Gadot and her cronies mustered up during 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then it was onto the main event, certificates to be\nreceived, yours truly called up first, they just HAD to do this alphabetically,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then joined by the kindergarten buddies assigned to us at\nyear\u2019s beginning, whom throughout the year we\u2019d been mentoring,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collected a helium balloon each, the ones that stored our\nsecret wishes, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Never mind if we got ours specifically, either way they\u2019re\nabout to go flying,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assembled at the dirt area, balloons in one hand and that of\nour buddies in the other, released the balloons skywards to rapturous applause,\nupon our teachers\u2019 final orders,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus concluded the ceremony, in addition to our time in\nelementary,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Classmates now alumni, the term teachers now prefixed with\n\u2018former,\u2019 our roles as mentors for those kindergarteners well and truly over,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The day\u2019s significance finally hit us as we said our\ngoodbyes to one another,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gotta laugh at the tears between friends who\u2019ll be spending\nsummer break together,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The occasion must\u2019ve got to them, I suppose that\u2019s\nunderstandable, most are heading to the same high school together, again it\nbecomes laughable,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half-promised to keep in touch with the homies, to hang out\nlike old times, did we live up to \u2018em? You\u2019ll find out in a little while,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally split from the herd unnoticed, looking forward to\nhopefully greener pastures,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Re-joined my immediate family, who were chatting with the\nPrincipal, she wished me well for the future, then I gave Pops the signal,<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s time to go, the summer break beckons, headed towards\nthe gate, taking those final steps triumphant,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only at this time did I feel that gut punch, finally, <\/p>\n\n\n\n That elementary\u2019s now behind me and so is a life carefree,\nmelancholy hitting me low-key,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Took a final look at the school grounds, surveyed the land\nbefore leaving,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Class was dismissed for the summer, other students had\njoined their parents,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fellow graduates ain\u2019t in a hurry, some of \u2018em ran to the\njungle gym excitedly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Climbing and swinging like they did in kindergarten, one\nlast grasp at childhood before high school comes calling,<\/p>\n\n\n\n School buses done arrived, time to close school for the\nseason,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grade seven awaits after the break, bring on teen years\nlet\u2019s see how I handle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n POSTSCRIPT<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, your boy ain\u2019t kept in touch with the homies, it wasn\u2019t\nmeant to be, <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s just how fate scripted it, our ships sailed through\ndifferent directions,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of \u2018em now married with children, as are most of my\nformer peers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some even became teachers, though not at our old stomping\nground of seven years, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of \u2018em ain\u2019t changed, facially, can see traces of \u2018em\nin their kiddies,<\/p>\n\n\n\n No telling what became of our kindy buddies, by now they\u2019d\nreached early thirties,<\/p>\n\n\n\n With families and careers of their own, time sure has flown,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seemed to last forever living it, in hindsight shouldn\u2019t\nhave taken it for granted,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The school I\u2019d attended still standing, still in operation\nand thriving,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uniforms largely remained unchanged, new buildings done\nupgraded the landscape,<\/p>\n\n\n\n No telling if younger teachers in the day are still plying\ntheir trade, though one older gent\u2019s still doing his thing, still smoking\ndespite surpassing retirement age,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now to address the elephant in the room, as if you didn\u2019t\nknow,<\/p>\n\n\n\n That little note that ascended upwards, the little wish that\nI\u2019d wrote, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ain\u2019t nothing ambitious or noble, some would say it\u2019s\nshallow,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gotta bear in mind, I was a chubby child, picked on by the\nothers, their jabs were most unkind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n So prior to the proceedings, took out a pen and scrawled\nthat I wished for a better body, to turn this softness into brawn,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe wishes come true, achievement unlocked years later,<\/p>\n\n\n\n No drugs, supplements or gym, just hard work and dedication,\nchoke on that one, hecklers!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Woke up bright and early like it was another school day, It\u2019s anything but, come afternoon it\u2019ll be time to graduate, The magnitude hasn\u2019t registered, all\u2019s well on the plains, gotta enjoy summer break before knuckling down for seventh grade, Had breakfast with the fam bam then ducked into the showers, Changed into school uniform, … <\/p>\n